Bursting with juicy fruit and cream between layers of brown sugar meringue, this delicate and versatile dessert is certainly fit for its namesake.  Believed to be created in honour of Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova while dancing on tour in Australia or New Zealand (they still debate it), the dessert has become one of my favourite things to make (and eat, obviously!).
This “triple-layer” version of the pavlova is a little more high maintenance than a more typical pavlova with one large meringue and toppings, but it is still easy to make and assemble and the overall effect of the layers is worth it!

I first tried this dessert in the summertime when strawberries were abundant and we had raspberries growing in our backyard, but it’s easy to feature whatever fruit (or sliced nuts!) you like best and whatever is in season.  I used berries and mandarin oranges…delish. The recipe calls for sour cream in the whipped cream to thicken it, but I strained some plain non-fat yogurt instead — worked the same way, but a little healthier! Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, it’s great. The brown sugar in the meringue really adds some more depth to the light dessert. Enjoy!!